California is set to mandate the inclusion of solar panels and battery storage for new buildings. Following a unanimous vote of approval by the California Energy Commission, the measure is expected to be included in an overall revision of the state’s building code in December of this year, before coming into effect on January 1st, 2023. The move, made as part of the new 2022 California Energy Code, will make California the first state in the U.S. to mandate solar panels and battery storage for new commercial and high-rise residential buildings.

The new measures will apply to a wide range of buildings, including hotels, offices, retail, restaurants, schools, grocery stores, and civic spaces such as theaters, auditoriums, and convention centers. The measures would also require new homes in California to be wired in an accessible way, to enable the future transition of heating and appliances away from natural gas and towards electric sources. Other measures include the encouragement of electric heat pump technology for space and water heating and strengthening ventilation standards to improve indoor air quality.

“Homes and businesses use nearly 70% of California’s electricity and are responsible for a quarter of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions,” said the California Energy Commission in a statement. “Over the next 30 years, the 2022 Energy Code is estimated to provide $1.5 billion in consumer benefits and reduce 10 million metric tons of GHGs, equivalent to taking nearly 2.2 million cars off the road for a year. Expanded adoption of new energy-efficient technologies will help reduce costs of the technology over time.”

California already requires new single-family homes and multifamily buildings up to three stories in height to be equipped with solar power, in a provision which took effect at the beginning of 2020. As The New York Times notes, the impact of this provision has been limited thus far, as many homes which were granted permits after January 2020, and hence subject to the provision, have only recently been completed due to COVID-19 disruption.

Although now approved by the California Energy Commission, adoption of the new regulation is not yet guaranteed. The state’s Building Standards Commission, which is responsible for updating the building code, could theoretically reject the proposal during its review in December. However, as the NYT notes, the Building Standards Commission has never rejected a proposal which has been granted prior approval from the energy commission.